How the Ascended Jesus Continues His Work

Intro

In this passage Luke wants his readers to know and see how Jesus, who is now in heaven, continues to care for His church and how the church began to relate to him.

1 – The ascended Jesus answers single-minded corporate prayer (vv 12-14) 

• The manner of their prayer – “with one accord” – “devoted”

• Why pray for what God has promised?

• The connection between prayer and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Lk 3:22, 11:13; Acts 4:31)

2 – The ascended Jesus teaches his people through his chosen teachers (vv 15-20; Acts 2:42; Eph 2:20)

• Divine inspiration of Scripture (vs 16; 2 Pet 1:21)

• Divine control of history (vs 16; Acts 4:28; Ps 69:25, Ps 109:8)

• Christ-centered interpretation (vv 16-20; Luke 24:27, 44-45)

3 – The ascended Jesus guides his people as they submit their decisions to him (vv 21-26)

• The reason for the decision (Lk 22:30)

• The manner of the decision (vs 26; Prov 16:33, 18:18; Josh 7:14; Jonah 1:7)

• A fuller New Testament pattern (Rom 12:2, Rom 8:14, Gal 5:18)

Discussion Questions

1. Name an event in your life that you can trace as an answer to persevering prayer you or someone else offered? What makes persevering in prayer difficult?
2. In what areas has Jesus renewed your mind through teaching?
3. What decisions in the past do you remember searching out answers for in the Bible and then prayerfully seeking the Spirit’s guidance?